


Lay A Finger On Him And You're Dead

by Superwholock101



Category: Supernatural, Supernatural RPF
Genre: Abused Dean, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - College/University, Army Dean Winchester, Army Sam Winchester, Awesome Charlie Bradbury, Balthazar (Supernatural) is a Little Shit, Castiel is a bit of a dick, Character Death, Dean Winchester is Protective of Castiel, Dean and Feelings, Eventual Happy Ending, Lonely Castiel, Lonely Dean Winchester, M/M, Mild Smut, Past, Rich Castiel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 06:08:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 17,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15624267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superwholock101/pseuds/Superwholock101
Summary: Castiel is the only son of one of the wealthiest Mayor's ever. He's excited to start his first year of college and finally have some privacy for a change. However, his dad hires a bodyguard that will be with him 24/7 and Castiel will have none of that. He'll get rid of Dean Winchester. How hard can it be, right?





	1. Chapter 1

Castiel couldn't express in words how happy he was when he saw on his computer how close he was to starting his first year in college. Being the only son of one of the wealthiest Mayor's had it's advantages, like getting whatever you wanted and not having to do chores, but it also had it's disadvantages, one of them being privacy. He almost never had no time for himself, for his father feared his security. But in a week it would all change.

A knock on his door suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts. "Castiel?" His father's voice sounded from the other side of the door. "Come in!" he yelled as he turned to look at the opening door. 

His father steps unto his room, wearing a casual shirt and some jeans. If anyone saw him right now, they wouldn't believe him if he told them he was millionaire, but Castiel knows this is just his usual Sunday outfit. His father does after all wear a suit 5 days a week. If Castiel was him, he probably wouldn't want to even wear a shirt. Suits are overrated in Castiel's point of view.

"What were you doing?" his father says pointing at the computer Castiel had been using just a minute ago. 

"Nothing much. I was just making sure I don't forget anything next week."

"I can't believe you're going off to college so soon, son. I feel like it was just yesterday when you were a kid and you said you wanted to be a honeybee when you grew up. " Chuck says with a smile on his face. "I'm so proud of you"

Castiel can feel himself smiling at his father's words even though he's heard them more times than he could ever remember. 

"Thanks dad. I'm just glad you finally trusted me in being able to be by myself" Castiel says. However the moment he says that, his father's smile immediately falters and the look he gives him is one Castiel knows too well.

"No. No. No! You promised! For godsake dad I'm 18!" Castiel argued. His father takes a step closer, his face still the same. 

"Castiel, just hear me out" he says, his hands extended as Castiel stands up. Castiel's not a tall man, but he's taller than his father so when he stands up it almost looks like he's looming over him.

"With all these rumours and threats I've been getting. I want you to be safe so that I don't have to worry---"

"I can take care of myself" Castiel interrupts, he makes his way towards his unmade bed and grabs out 5 graduation certificates that show the different martial arts his father had signed him up for.

"I know that Castiel but I don't want the same thing that happened to your mother, happen to you!" Chuck shouts, getting annoyed at his sons persistence at something so tiny. "That's why I hired a bodyguard to be with you all the time at your college" Chuck states, leaving no room to argue.

Castiel stays quiet, his blood boiling and just stares at his father. A bodyguard?! What does his father think? That if someone wanted to kidnap him or even better, kill him, he'll just let them? What will the students at the college say about him? Castiel is almost 100% sure that his chance at a normal life are now fully out of the window. But he should have seen this coming. Which is why he isn't going to fight this time, he'll comply, but the moment he steps foot unto his college he'll make sure to make the bodyguard's job utter hell! Until he gets rid of him and can finally have a normal life with some privacy and freedom.  
He takes a deep breath and asks "Who'd you hire?" 

His father's face seems shocked for a moment, but he quickly hides it with a warm smile at the fact that he wouldn't have to argue with his son on a Sunday morning.

"His name is Dean Winchester" he says  
"He was in the military, he's only 26 and already has medals in archery, athletics, shooting and karate. He's very loyal"

Castiel snorts at the last sentence, "loyal". Why couldn't he just have a dog then. They're loyal too, cute, they follow you around and are great for attracting the ladies and gentlemen! But no! He gets a bodyguard who was in the military. Who the hell knows why he isn't shooting someone's head off right now? Definitely not cute, Castiel thinks.

"He'll be here next week, I expect you to treat him well, okay?" Chuck says, already half way out the door.

"Of course father. Why wouldn't I?" Castiel says trying not to sound too sarcastic. He walks towards his desk and grabs his phone.

If he's going to get rid of his bodyguard he's going to have to start planning and he'll need some help from his best friend. He goes through his contacts until he finds the name he was looking for. He clicks on the name and sends a text.

 **Cas: Need help getting rid of a bodyguard. You in?**

Not a minute has passed and Castiel gets a reply. He laughs out loud at the reply. Of course, she would write that.

**Charlie: Where do you want to hide the body?**


	2. Chapter 2

The next few days Castiel and Charlie digged up everything they could about his bodyguard, Dean Winchester. 

As much as Castiel hated to say, he was actually really impressed with the guy. Besides the well toned body of his and blinding smile, he had also helped his younger brother Samuel go to college. However Castiel was determined to not let any of that get into his head, because Dean was also the youngest man in the military to get a medal of recognition for the amount of people he had searched and saved during a raid in Iraq, he was strong, fast and smart. Maybe this might be harder than they believed, Castiel thought.

He ran a hand over his hair and laid back unto his chair. He sighed looking at one of Dean's picture. "How does a college student beat a military man?" He said lowly to himself. Castiel heard his phone buzz and saw that it was Charlie.

Charlie was one of the few people that actually treated Castiel normally. They had met in 2nd grade when Castiel had been playing on his phone rather than paying attention to whatever subject they were suppose to be learning in class. The teacher had reprimanded Castiel and taken away his phone for the rest of the day. At lunch, when he was bored as hell, a red haired little girl approached him and said "I don't think I've ever met a rich Space Invaders fan" 

Castiel had been confused at the sudden comment. He recognized the girl from his class but---

"I'm Charlie" she said, extending her hand for Castiel to shake. Castiel put his sandwich down that he had been in the middle of eating and shaked it.

"Let me guess you play Space Invaders?" Castiel said with a smile on his face. He heard the girl laugh and shake her head. "I don't just play it, I live it" she said, taking a seat infront of Castiel. 

"What's your favourite ship?" She asked, her energy and smile, making Castiel feel all happy. Usually all everyone talked about was his father and their money, but Charlie only wanted to know about a game he was playing.

The whole lunch period was spent talking about the game, and questions were passed back and forth about each other. Charlie also had the game in her phone so during class they both took turns to play without getting caught. They made plans to hang out after school and the rest is history.

Castiel picked up his phone and heard the familiar energetic voice. "What's up Charlie?" He said casually.

"What's up?! Tomorrow we head off to college with plans to get rid of your handsome bodyguard" she said, and Castiel just knew she had to be smirking right now. Charlie just loved to tease him sometimes. Especially when she found how attractive Dean was, but nonetheless she was going to help Castiel get rid of him. 

"Do you think it'll work? The plan?" Castiel asked, ignoring the comment Charlie made. 

"It'll work, but if not we have Plan B for backup or worst case scenario Plan C" Charlie reassured. "Plus it's going to be 2 against 1. The odds are ever in our favour"

Castiel chuckled and rolled his eyes. Charlie and her references were like peanut butter and jelly, you can't have one without the other.

"You're right. Let the game begin"

_____________________________

 

Plan A was all going to be about distraction and trickery. Castiel made sure to wake up early Monday morning so he could plan and check everything was right and ready. He did his morning routine of exercise, he showered, changed and while he was in the middle of brushing his teeth he heard the doorbell ring. That's got to be him. 

"Castiel!" His father shouted from downstairs. Castiel took a deep breath to calm his nerves and began to make his way down the stairs. He could hear his father talking and there he saw him.

Dean Winchester was right infront of his father, nodding. He was wearing black jeans and a black shirt that perfectly outlined his well toned body. His black sunglasses hanging from his shirt. It just screamed bodyguard! 

"There he is!" His father exclaimed, Castiel was still taking in the sight of Dean when they locked eyes. Dean's intense hazel green eyes, almost made Castiel's knees give out. Castiel swallowed loudly and made his way forward, embarrassed for his reaction of Dean.

"This is--" 

"Castiel Novak. Age 18. Going to college. Likes videogames." Dean interrupted his father casually. Castiel stared at him, wide eyed. He probably should be annoyed right now, but the way his name rolled off his tongue, just made it harder for Castiel to focuse on the plan. 

"Castiel you alright?" His father asked, concerned. "You're sweating""

Castiel couldn't believe when he saw Dean smirk! That's when he snapped out of it.

"How did you know I liked videogames?" He asked defensively, the only thing coming to his mind.

Dean pointed at his shirt. Castiel was wearing a white polo shirt, and in the right corner there was a small galaga ship. The fact that Dean saw that, made Castiel realize just how observant Dean was. After all, the ship was really small and could easy be confused with the polo logo. 

"Nice shirt though" Dean said and turned to look at his father. "I promise you Mr. Shurley your son will be kept safe."

Castiel rolled his eyes at the comment, his father thanked Dean and had a few more words with him, while Castiel brought his stuff down from his room. All Castiel could think about was that maybe the only plan that would work will be Plan C, but he sure didn't want it to come to that. He loved his father and he wouldn't want to hurt him, but he wants to have the same freedom everyone has. But first he has to try and get rid of Dean.

Castiel says goodbye to his dad while Dean loads everything in the car. His father hugs him hard and looks at him.  
"I know you're angry about this, but I just want you to be safe, okay?"

Castiel nods and hugs him back. He heads to his car and is about to get on the driver's seat when Dean blocks his way. "I'll be the one driving, Mr. Novak" he says, with his palm open. 

Castiel wants to argue but he remembers the plan. Distraction and trickery. He hands Dean the keys with a fake smile. Dean smiles back and waits for Castiel to get in the car before he gets in too.

The college is a 2 hour drive away so Castiel sees 2 possible outcomes for this drive, an uncomfortable silence or conversation. 

Castiel knows he should start asking him questions, get everything he can on Dean that he can't get on the internet. Information is power. Information to get rid of him. Information to find weaknesses just like in a game, but all he can do is sometimes glance at Dean who looks comfortable as ever driving his car. The morning sun giving Dean almost god like gorgeousness. And then there's an uncomfortable silence, so Castiel does whatever anyone would do. He takes his headphones on and puts them on. Music blocking the uncomfortable silence and letting him think. His eyelids start to get heavy and soon he's drifting to sleep. Maybe he shouldn't have waken up so early, Castiel thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 200 hits! Wow. Never expected that. Thank you!!!


	3. Chapter 3

"Mr. Novak" 

That voice---

Castiel blinks open his eyes. His mind strugging to be fully conscious. It's too bright outside but he can make out a tall building in front of them and it looks like---

Wait--

_Wait--_

Dean was driving his car to his college--

HE FELL ASLEEP!

"Mr. Novak" the voice says again. The voice belonging to Dean Winchester.

"Mr. Novak is my father. Just call me Castiel" Castiel replies, his voice deeper than usual since he just woke up from a 2 hour nap. He closes his eyes and sighs.

"We're here, Castiel" Dean says and it makes Castiel shudder. He opens back his eyes to see the intense green eyes staring at him. It makes Castiel feel like he's being studied, something that he hates. 

He gets up and out of the car without waiting for Dean. However, the moment he looks around Dean is already right beside him. 

"Space?" He says, annoyed. The fact that he just woke up and Dean not making an effort to move, makes him want to just punch something. He never was a morning person. He needs coffee.

He pushes past Dean and grabs his bag. He'll get his boxes later in the day. Castiel doesn't need Dean to show him how muscular and stronger he is from being in the military. How when he arched down to pick up his boxes, his back---

A hand touches his shoulders and pulls him back. He almost falls from the force. 

"I'll always be a foot away from you. Arm's length basically. I think that's enough personal space." Dean claims.

Castiel's mouth is agape. Was this guy serious?! He was about to start arguing when he heard his name being shouted by a familiar friend. Dean's eyes immediately darted to the where the voice came from. Charlie raises her hands as if Dean was holding out a gun.

"I come in peace, fellow bodyguard" she says, still walking towards them. Castiel chuckles and goes to give her a hug. Even though they've been talking to each other the whole summer, they hadn't seen one another due to a computer camp Charlie went to.

Dean grunts and takes a step back. "I was going to go get some coffee. You want to come?" Castiel asks Charlie, knowing full well she's tagging a long.

"Of course, dummy" she says. 

_____________________________

They head to the coffee shop that Castiel had researched prior their arrival. After much insisting, Castiel manages to convince Dean to stay at their table while they go order. While waiting in line Charlie whispers "Are we still on for the plan?"  
Castiel gives a small nod without looking at her, he can almost feel Dean's eyes boring into his back. He doesn't want him to get suspicious. 

They finally order their drinks and head to the table in which Dean is sitting at.

"I gotta go to the washroom. Save my spot for me Charlie. " Castiel says, putting his coffee on the table. Dean is about to get up when Castiel stops him. "I think I can handle going to the washroom by myself, Dean. Wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea, eh?" 

Dean's narrow his eyes. "Your father said---". Castiel interrupts him "Dean, you can literally see the washroom from here! It's not like I'm going to run off." 

Okay. Yes, Castiel lied in the last part, but it's all about deception. Dean doesn't seem to buy Castiel words and is about to say something when Charlie steps up to help. "Come on! Are you actually going to leave a lady all alone in this table? Plus, Cas bought you a coffee" 

Castiel doesn't wait for Dean to answer, he just heads for the washroom. A washroom that Castiel had found had a window online. Before he enters the washroom, he quickly glances back to see that Dean is still with Charlie. He mentally cheers. Plan A might actually work!

He steps inside and gives a loud sigh. All he has to do is get out, go to Charlie's car and he's free. Castiel looks at the small but fittable window at the top right corner. He's about jump when he hears a knock on the door. "Castiel?" Dean asks.

Shit! He's got to hurry.

"I'm here" he yells, as he jumps. He lifts himself up and pushes the window open. He struggles a bit to push his whole body through even though he's quite skinny, but eventually he manages to get through. He lands on the ground in a crouching position, his feet wide apart and with one hand on the floor while the other hand is outstretched away from his. Castiel for a moment feels like he's in a Mission Impossible movie. He looks around for any sign of Dean. Once he's sure Dean hasn't found about him, he begins to run.

Distance was all that mattered

Castiel begins to head towards the location of Charlie's car. They had decided that Castiel wouldn't go to his car because that would have been plain stupid, but the moment he sees Charlie's car, he also sees Dean.

"What the hell?" Castiel says out of breath. He stops running. Castiel is almost a kilometer away from the car. So he sees 3 possible possibilities.  
1\. Run somewhere else but risk being seen by Dean and found.  
2\. Hide.  
3\. Give up.

Could Castiel outrun Dean? Military man against College student?

Castiel's got about 15 seconds before Dean turns around. He has to make a choice.


	4. Chapter 4

Castiel's heart beats faster as he turns around, his adrenaline demanding he starts on running, right now, no delay.

His feet slip from the haste and he almost tumbles over, more time he can't afford. His eyes dart to his college. He'll probably be able to lose Dean there. 

"Castiel!" he hears Dean, calling out to him. Castiel doesn't look back but he can hear Dean running after him. Castiel isn't a slow runner, but compared to Dean, he's slow enough. He's right behind him. Castiel feels a hand grasp at his wrist but it fails to grip.  
Castiel keeps running. Castiel's close to the entrance of the college, his lungs feeling like they're on fire, he only needs a few more steps and he'd be inside the college. 

He feels a hand grab his shoulder. But he shoves it away. He pushes the door's to the college, there are hundreds of students in the halls some eagered to start their first day while others looking like they'd rather die than be there.

He pushes past them, shoving some into Dean. Already the first day and Castiel is sure he's made enemies already. All eyes are on them, but Castiel can only think about escaping Dean. Castiel starts to make his way up the stairs, he reaches the top floor and makes his way down the hall, he notices he's in the residence. There's got to be a dorm open.  
His eyes scan for any open door and sees one, he doesn't hesitate to make his way into the room and close the door.  
He's trying to calm his breath when he hears a voice behind him "Who the hell are you?"  
Castiel shushes him, he can't hear anything and it's making him nervous as hell. He feels as though he's playing the game cat and mouse. Him being the mouse, obviously.  
He feels his phone in his back pocket buzz and he almost jumps from suddenness. He looks to see that it's Charlie calling, he answers it.  
"Hello?" He whispers.  
"What door" Dean asks, his voice sounding irritated. Castiel blood runs cold. Shit! How the hell does Dean have Charlie's phone?!

"Are you going to make me look in every dorm, Castiel?" Dean says.

Castiel still doesn't answer, instead he starts looking for another exit in the stranger's room in which Castiel has just invaded. There's no other exit.  
"I'm waiting Castiel" Dean says annoyed. 

Castiel won't give up, not now, not ever. Sure, he's already lost this fight, but he'll win the next one.

Could Castiel beat Dean again once he opens the door? Probably not, but he'll try anyway.

Castiel whispers a sorry to the boy and opens the door. He sees Dean a few doors away and before Castiel can run. Dean runs too and tackles Castiel. 

Castiel doesn't expect it and falls to the ground along with Dean untop of him. They both land with an _oof._

Castiel's breath is taken away when he sees how close Dean is to his face. The only thing stopping Castiel from just pushing himself forward and feeling Dean's lips with his own is the fact that Dean is his bodyguard, preventing Castiel from having a normal life.

Instead of telling Dean to get off him as Castiel should, he asks, "How did you get to Charlie's car before me?" 

"For starters, I didn't have to sneak through a window. Second, I know how to use the internet, I know the layout of this whole place which means I know the shortcuts, sunshine" Dean replies, and the smirk he gives Castiel, makes Castiel furious.

"Get off me" Castiel demands.

"Are you going to make me have to chase you again?"

Castiel rolls his eyes. He hasn't even started his classes and he's already prepared to call it a day. 

"No" Castiel says. Dean stares at Castiel and he sees the man's eyes drift towards his lips, but before Castiel can say anything, he's up and grabbing Castiel and their making their way to Castiel's first period class.

However, there's one thing that Castiel can't get out of his head. _Did Dean call him sunshine?_


	5. Chapter 5

It's already been 2 weeks and Castiel can't seem to get Dean off of him. Castiel's stomach growls and he squirms in his seat to try to silence the rumbling. He glances at the clock; there was only two more minutes until lunch. His teacher drones on, but his head is preoccupied; his eyes glaze over as he imagines the sandwich he would go out and buy. His mouth's watering at the thought of it. Only one more minute. Castiel watches as the red seconds hand slowly completed its circle around the clock on the wall. The closer it got, the slower it seemed to go. His stomach rumbles again, and he tries to cover it with his hand. Luckily, no one notices the loud noise except Dean Winchester who only glances at him with a smirk. Castiel doesn't care, he just wants food. Finally, the bell rings. Castiel has never been happier for class to be over. He grabs his bag and heads out with Dean right behind.

The day Dean tackled Castiel, was the day everyone in the whole college knew about Castiel's bodyguard. Everyone soon backed off, nobody wanted to mess with him, it made Castiel feel kind of lonely. 

It was time to go for Plan B. 

"Where are you going to go?" Dean asks, behind him. He's pushing some people back for him to have Castiel in sight before Castiel replies that there's a Subway near by.

Dean chuckles and stops Castiel. "That's not food. It's just a sad, wannabe burger. "

Castiel's gotten tons of useless info of Dean, including when he learned that Dean hates anything remotely healthy. It's still a wonder how he's this fit by the way he eats. It's amazing how careful Dean's been in not letting anything too personal from him slip. 

Castiel shrugs and looks at Dean, he's not going to lie but he's gotten comfortable with Dean. They've had a few small talks, so there's that.

"If you don't want to eat that, then go buy food someplace else" Castiel says, over the loud hallway filled with overlapped conversations.

Dean shakes his head and grabs Castiel's arm for the first time since Castiel tried to run, he hadn't paid attention last time, but the feel of Dean's hand on his bare skin makes him feel the heat growing in his cheeks. He sees Dean try to surpress a smile. He feels as if time has almost stopped. What the hell is happening right now? 

Castiel hears Dean clear his throat and let go. The sudden loss of warm making Castiel want more. 

"I know a place. Best burgers in town, actually. Come on" Dean says, waiting for Castiel to begin walking.

Castiel is still a bit dumstruck when he begins walking. Is this what normal bodyguards do? Go eat burgers with their clients whom their suppose to protect at all cost?

__________________________

The restaurant was busy. Castiel looked around at the tables. An old couple eating side by side, eating calmly their food. A group of young women in their thirties collapsing with helpless giggles as a stern woman dining alone nearby looked on and frowned. A family and their teenage children. Some old music being played. It seemed nice. It was different, it's something Castiel wasn't used to. It usually was either a fancy restaurant or a cheap food chain, one or the other.

A waitress stood at the entrance and set them up at a booth in the far corner. She had a small notebook in her hand, she looked almost the same age as Castiel. Castiel looked at her name tag. Her name was Meg. 

"Do you guys know what you will be ordering?" She asks, smiling at Castiel and getting closer to him.

Dean's jaw clenches. The waitress smile and proximity to Castiel was something Dean didn't like it. Dean looked at Castiel's blue eyes and said, with a bitter smile and without looking at Meg "We'll have 2 burgers, with cheese and bacon please." He then looked away from Castiel and out the window. Why did he just sound possessive?

Meg's eyes and mouth were frozen wide open in an expression of a stunned surprise. "Oh my god! I'm sorry. I didn't know you guys were a couple. I just saw blue-eyes over here and thought he was cute so why the hell not give it a shot, you know?" Meg nervously laughs. "I'm going to get your orders now" she says, as she leaves awkwardly.

Castiel was still trying to process, the way Dean looked at him, almost like he was jealous? But he couldn't have seen that, Dean's his bodyguard whom he's barely talked to. There is no way Dean was jealous.

Dean regained his thoughts and looked back at Castiel. He had for a moment been jealous, undoubtedly jealous. But he hadn't meant to show it and the waitress just called them a couple?! He cleared his throat and looked down so Castiel couldn't see him blush a little. 

"What was that about?" Castiel asks.

"I didn't trust her" Dean says, still looking down. There was something off about her that Dean didn't like about. 

Castiel fakes a laugh. "Really? What was it, huh? The fact that I might make a new friend cause you've been scaring everyone off or the fact that she liked me?" Castiel argued.

Dean looks up and shakes his head. "I have a job to do Castiel. I'm sorry if you can't make friends cause you're to shy to go and talk to someone" he defends.

Castiel leans forward and clenches his fists. "Screw your job! You and I both know you don't have to accompany me everywhere I go. And if you want to talk about flaws then let me ask you something, how come you decided to drop out of the army? What happened? They kick you out because you became such a dick?" 

"My life is none of your business" Dean argues.

"That's my point. Why do you have to be everywhere with me, making my life all your business!" Castiel yells. 

Dean's about to yell back when Meg comes back with their order. Both of them keep looking at each other, their eyes doing the talk for them.

"Here you go guys. If you need anything let me know, okay?" Meg says, trying to be as oblivious to the situation as she can be.

"Thank you" Castiel says, forcing a smile as she watches Meg leave. He looks at the burger, he's starving but he doesn't want to eat the burger Dean ordered for him, he doesn't want his life to be so controlled anymore.

Dean doesn't touch his burger either and so they stay in awkward silence. The only thing distracting Castiel is the background music. Dean's the first one to speak up again. "I'm sorry" he says, looking down at his hands. "I know it's not fair. I get it. My life was crap before I joined the army. I wanted an escape from my life and I found it there along with my..." Dean pauses and Castiel sees Dean take a deep breath. "I found it along with my little brother by my side"

"Where's your brother now?" Castiel asks. 

Dean stays quiet. He actually looks uncomfortable for the first time. "Dead" Dean replies, still not looking at Castiel.

Great! Now Castiel is the dick here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, THANK YOU FOR 650 HITS. Even when sometimes the chapters aren't the best.  
> Second, I'll be updating every 2 days due to my busy schedule, but I promise to finish this fic. I'm thinking about 10-15 chapters.
> 
> THANKS GUYS!


	6. Chapter 6

There was a silence. The customers in the restaurant all continued to talk vehemently, casting uneasy glances. Castiel knew that their conversation had been overheard from the few people inside. He scratched the back of his neck and gave a sigh, "I didn't know...I--" Castiel was cut off by Dean. "It's okay Cas. It's not your fault, I'm the one that couldn't protect him, ya know? I was his big brother, it was my job and I screwed up and it got him killed" Dean's eyes shifted to the side again, he bit his lip tightly in attempt to hide any sound that wanted to escape from his mouth; his heart sank once again. He had never told anyone that and yet, he had opened up to Castiel, his client. 

Dean looked up to see that Castiel's blue eyes were filled with a kindness that seemed so innocent and genuine so endless: as big as the sea. It made him suddenly feel a bit less guilty. Castiel's hand reached out and kindly squeezed his hand.

Dean once read an article that said compassion is the closest thing you get to love. But honestly, isn't compassion just as great? Being so broken inside that his own cries get stuck in the back of his throat. His sorrow bringing him so far gone that he can't even shed a tear. His screams get lost in his head. Is compassion not so much love that your brain could explode just by being around people that care? 

Castiel shook his head and said to Dean, "I don't know what happened to him, but from everything I know about you. I don't think you should put so much blame on yourself Dean. You've saved countless of lives, don't forget that"

"What's the point if I couldn't save the one person that meant the most to me. Sam was the only family I had left" Dean paused "It should have been me"

"No life is more valuable than another, Dean" Cas truthfully says. This is the first time Dean has ever told Castiel something so personal. Castiel doesn't know what to do with the info, with how vulnerable Dean looks right now. How did this all happen? 

The silence once again came back. Both of them recalling the conversation they just had. 

"You called me Cas." Castiel spoke again "You used my nickname" 

Dean sighed "Yea. Sorry, it just slipped". 

Then suddenly Dean hears Castiel laugh, it was nothing like he had ever heard before. The laugh was in his eyes, in the way his face changed into that vision of relaxed joy and unrestrained mirth. Yet truly, it wasn't in his face either. His laugh came from within, it was a true laugh. It was enough to transport Dean far far away from his worries and the tension of his life right now.

"Don't worry about it. You can call me Cas"

_______________________

The next few days, Castiel was troubled in his thoughts. He would like to consider Dean a friend after the personal conversation they had, but his mind kept bugging him about his chance to have some privacy and freedom. 

Castiel noticed that Dean became less tense around him and didn't cast his deathly glares to his classmates so much as he used to. They even began to talk more often. A thought occurred to him, maybe he could compromise Dean? Have him fall in love with him and then he could tell his father that Dean's judgment was clouded which would cause Dean to immediately be fired. 

Castiel's idea could work, but he also knew that he cared for Dean, after learning what happened to his brother and the guilt Dean carries. From the small conversation they had, he's learned that Dean isn't as tough as he appears, Castiel really doesn't want to hurt him. Could he do it? 

He needed to ask Charlie, but he couldn't risk going to her and Dean overhearing everything. Castiel grabs his phone and sends a text to Charlie about his idea.

A minute later, Charlie texts back. 

**Charlie: Are you going to do it?**

**Cas: I don't know. . . Do you think I should do it?**

**Charlie: I asked you first.**

Castiel rolls his eyes at Charlie's comment. How was he even going to do this? He's never even flirted with someone! 

**Cas: There's a chance it might not even work.**

**Charlie: WHAT?! Have you not seen the way Mr. Bodyguard looks at you when you aren't looking. I'm surprised it took you this long to come up with this.**

Castiel was surprised at that. He didn't think Dean liked him, maybe because Castiel didn't like him at the beginning either. Everything about Dean Castiel hated with a passion but now, he can't find it in himself to hate him anymore, not after what everything Dean's been through. 

**Cas: What if I hurt him?**

Castiel sees 3 dots appear and disappear. Apparently, Charlie doesn't know how to answer his question. Hell! Castiel doesn't even know the answer either!

 **Charlie: He's a military man. He's tough. I'm pretty sure he can handle a heartbreak. Not literally, but you know what I mean.**

Except Castiel knows Dean isn't that tough.


	7. Chapter 7

Castiel lost his mother at a young age when she had been robbed. His mom had been badly injured even though she had given the robbers everything they wanted. She died on the way to the hospital. Some people say that it wasn't a robbery, but an attack to his father's reputation from one of the many enemies he had gathered during his years as a Mayor. Castiel never found out which one it was, because it didn't matter. His mother was still dead, his friend, his role model. He missed her and he was angry that someone had taken her away from him. He was hurt. He was in pain.

Since that day on, Castiel's father put a tight leash on him on where and who he could hang out with. He didn't have that same connection with his dad that he had with his mother, everything was almost always professional. No feelings shared. No thoughts shared. 

Growing up Castiel had everything including money and fame. He admits that it's started to blind him for awhile now. He's started to feel lost. 

However, Castiel never asked for a bodyguard. A bodyguard that lost a brother in the army. Never asked for his mother to die. Never asked to be born with much more money than he could spend. He didn't want any of it. He only wanted some privacy. And now he had found a solution, but was it the right one?

It was times like this, he wished he could ask his mother. Somehow she always knew the right thing to do. She always set Castiel on a straight path, no matter how young he was, but now, the path is blurry and Castiel might be headed into the wrong way without even knowing it. Castiel is lost. 

He remembers how a long time ago during one of his father's many charity events, he had met a boy the same age as him. They began to play tag together for awhile and the boy one time had accidentally pushed Castiel, making him fall and scratch his knee. Castiel didn't think much of it, but his father did. Chuck made sure that the boy paid for hurting Castiel, almost putting the boy's family in bankruptcy. Castiel had urged his father to undo his actions, telling him that it had been an accident, that it was just a game, that it was wrong. Yet, his father ignored him and told him something Castiel still remembers to this date. "Nothing is ever as it seems. That boy was ignorant Castiel, everyone must pay for their actions, no matter what. He does not matter Castiel, what matters is _you._ "

Castiel hears his alarm buzz and slowly opens his eyes. He gets up and turns the alarm off. Another restless night. He hears Dean get up too from across the room and Castiel instantly groans. Dean, his bodyguard, a guy who Castiel is still deciding if he's going to try and make him fall in love with him.

Castiel needs a shower. He waves a hand at Dean while heading to the bathroom. The water pours down, it drips by his side, as Castiel's mind fades into dullness and everything soon turns into a foggy illusion. The sensation of the steamy water calms him; it takes his mind of things. All the things he honestly wants to stop caring about. It's the water. Castiel's mind swirls, and it's like he's standing under an everlasting waterfall. Ever so beautiful, but it can never last, he knows that. He has to make a choice today.

Castiel is startled by a loud knock on the door. 

"Cas, we gotta go. You'll be late" Dean says from the other side of the door. 

"Got it" is all Castiel says.

_________________________

Castiel is sitting in the middle row of his large classroom. Students filling the leftover seats. This is one of his favorite classes, philosophy. It's a class where he hopes he can just get his mind to relax.

His professor was the type of person that taught the subject with a passion of a life long teacher, someone who lived to inspire a love of learning in the next generation. His professor walked into the classroom and the conversation that students were having subsided. Castiel tunes him out and begins to daydream.  
They're probably halfway through the lesson when he snaps back to reality after something that his professor says catches his attention, ""Is pain the price of freedom?"

 _No... Yes? Maybe..._ Castiel thinks, unsure of the answer of the question. 

Castiel's professor continues, "What happens to us humans as we grow up in the world? As children our hearts are completely open, and we hide nothing. We don't judge, we don't hate, we only love. Then we feel pain, and resolve to never feel that way again. Our reaction is to close our heart, protect it, avoid the problem, which works in the short term, but not in the long term. 

We have many options for not feeling pain these days: social isolation, defense mechanisms, self-abuse, eating disorders, medication, alcohol and drugs, hurting others…the list is long, because none of these remedies work for long.

However the solution to this dilemma is much simpler and more terrifying: Find out what causes you that pain and when you are tempted to close your heart, you have to decide to keep it open. You have to feel the pain, and then let it pass, just as in meditation you acknowledge the thought, and then let it go. This pain is the price of your freedom."

 _That was deep_ , Castiel thinks. However, Castiel can't help but wonder if maybe what his professor just said lies the answer to his problem.

Castiel sees a guy walking to the empty seat beside him, he gives the guy a quick once-over look before the guy sits down beside him, taking out his computer and some headphones. Castiel has never seen him in this class.

"Hey. Are you new here?" Castiel whispers to the guy, while the professor carries on with his lesson. His curiosity getting the better of him.

The guy looks at him and smiles "I hope not! I can't stand another year here."

Castiel's confused, was this guy a senior? What was he doing in this class, then? As if the guy read his mind, he whispered to Castiel "This room has excellent wifi, it's also got very comfortable seats. But don't tell anyone. Name's Balthazar" 

Castiel chuckles, "Castiel" he whispers back. He hears Dean clear his throat beside him and Castiel sighs. Balthazar's eyes dart toward Dean and his smile turns into a smirk.

"You're the guy with a bodyguard, then?" 

"Yea" Castiel replies. He's expecting Balthazar to backoff and say an awkward 'Okay. I don't want to talk with you anymore', but instead Balthazar replies "That's pretty cool. Hey! There's a party tonight at one of my friends dorm. Wanna come?"

Castiel is shocked at the question yet he doesn't show it. The guy barely knows him.  
"What about my bodyguard?"

"Bring him. It'll be fun. You look like a cool guy considering you're the Mayor's son"

So Balthazar did know who he was. It didn't surprise Castiel. Balthazar probably wanted something but hell! He was kinda hot and hell! He was going to the party anyway. School night be damned! He needed to loosen up a bit and maybe the alcohol will help him find the answers to his problems.

"Count me in" Castiel says. He looks back at Dean who probably has been eavesdropping in the whole conversation. Dean's eyes are secretly yelling Castiel a 'no', yet Castiel gives him a fake smile and quickly replies, "Correction, count _us_ in"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys that it took me this long to update BUT I just want to let you all know that the next few chapters are going to be CRAZY! So much stuff is going to happen!! Stay tuned.


	8. Chapter 8

Castiel was in his bed finishing as quickly as he could his homework. He was pretty sure that half of it was wrong since his mind was more focused on the party and Balthazar, than whatever he was writing. He heard a knock on his open door and found that it was none other than Dean. Dean’s quizzical expression reflected in his unmoving green pools as he stared at Cas. With a flick of Castiel’s hand a pillow took flight in Dean’s general direction and before Castiel fully started to type again on his computer, he heard Dean grumble. An undignified "What?" escapes Dean’s mouth, the word misshapen at the point of impact.

“You’re staring” Castiel replies, grinning.

“Can you blame me?’’

Dean hadn't meant to say that, Castiel could tell by the look of mild shock on Dean’s face and by the way his cheeks that flushed pink. Castiel had been caught off guard by Dean’s words that it took him a while to gather his thoughts.

“Are you here to tell me what a ‘bad idea’ it is to go to the party?” Castiel asks, he sees Dean shake his head and point to Castiel’s Back to the Future shirt that he was wearing, “Nah. I came to ask if you were actually going to wear those clothes to the party?”

Castiel couldn’t believe Dean had just said that. His clothes were amazing! It showed his personality, they were comfortable and modern, at least that’s what Castiel thought. However, he couldn’t help but feel a bit insecure about his clothes after Dean’s comment.

“What’s wrong with them?” he asks a bit more quietly than he expected.

Castiel immediately saw the lie slip out, smooth and easy like melted butter running down toast. “Nothing…” Dean says.

“Wait. Hold up. Did you just say that we’re going to the party?”

Dean nods his head and gives Castiel a small smile. “I figured that as long as I’m there you’ll be okay. Plus, you told me in the restaurant that you wanted to meet more people, so this is your chance”

Castiel feels himself stiffen at the memory of their argument. Their conversation in which he found out about Dean’s younger brother. The guilt sat not just on his chest but inside his brain too. The fact that Dean remembered what Castiel had said surprises him.

“Okay. I’m going to change but you’ll need to get out of my room first” Castiel says awkwardly. Dean gives a _hmmm_ and steps out of the room, closing the door behind him. Castiel lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding and shuts his laptop off, hoping he saved his word document. He goes to his closet and looks around his whole wardrobe, he puts on some jeans, a blue shirt unbuttoned at the collar and light brown boots. It’s been a while since he dressed up for an event since he began college. Castiel stared at his reflection in the mirror, everything was good except for his hair. His hair was as wild as the jungle, untamable and unruly. It stuck out from all the sides, Castiel blamed his unnecessary large amounts of homework for it. He patted down his hair for a few seconds until he was satisfied with his appearance. He finally then opened the door and saw Dean sitting on the couch waiting for him, a gigantic grin spread across his face.

“You look good, but I think I know what will make you look even better” Dean says as he gets up and walks to his room. Castiel stands there waiting, wondering what Dean went to get. A moment later Dean comes out carrying a jean jacket that was faded blue and ripped. He hands it to Castiel.

“Is this your’s?” Castiel laughs “I didn’t even know you owned any other clothes that weren’t black”

“Try it on” Dean urges. Castiel hesitated for a second before finally taking it and putting it on. My, oh my, Castiel didn’t realize that now with the jean jacket on he carried Dean’s smell of oil and gunpowder. The jacket made Castiel feel like he was being cuddled, it was cozy and comfortable at the same time. Castiel loved it.

“Now you look great. Do you like it?” Dean asks, snapping Castiel from his thoughts.

“I do. I really do” Castiel says, giving a quick twirl and pointing finger guns at Dean. Dean throws his head back in laughter. “We should go,” he says still laughing, Castiel laughing too.

__________________________________________

 

Castiel could hear the music before they even step foot inside the dorm. The music was as loud as thunder; it made the floor rattle. It was a miracle that the on-campus police hadn’t come and shut down the whole thing. Castiel pushed through the slightly open door and stepped inside. The music became louder, it made Castiel’s skin tingle and his lungs feel like mush. The bass thumped in time with his heartbeat as though they were one, filling him from head to toe with music. Tonight was going to be fun.

Almost everyone was dancing, those that weren’t were either talking or drinking. Was alcohol even allowed on campus? Castiel wondered. Dean seemed to have thought the same thing because over the roar of the music Castiel heard Dean say, “Cas we should go.”

Castiel turned around and pulled Dean even further inside the dorm. “We just got here. Let’s have some fun first, Dean”

Castiel heads to the kitchen where he sees all different types of alcoholic beverages, he grabs two beers and hands one to Dean. Dean who was still not pleased about the alcohol kicked the beer away and instead grabbed a water bottle. Castiel rolls his eyes at him and downs his beer. Who drinks water a party? Laughter rang in his ears and wouldn’t seem to stop. The song that was playing got louder, pulling him in and not letting go. Castiel had no choice but to join the crowd, jumping in the huddled group like Tic-Tacs being shaken in a box.

____________________________________________________

 

The party went on into the middle of the night, Castiel lost track of how many drinks he’d had. He felt the floor rocking beneath him and his mind drifting in and out like the tide. Though his vision wavered, there was one thing he was sure of. Dean was there, watching him and definitely sober. Castiel slowly walks towards a wall and slumps down into the floor. Not long after Dean joins him. “Why’d you let me drink so much alc-alcohol?”

Dean laughs, “I have tried to stop you but you keep ignoring me”. Castiel lets his head fall on Dean’s shoulder. Somewhere, deep inside Castiel knows his brain is sending signals telling him to stop. Whether or not his body is listening is a different story. He can feel it moving. It can feel it doing what it wants. Can he stop it? 

Castiel never drank to excess, but the giddiness he felt from just the warmth of Dean’s body by his side and the smell of his jacket had his higher thinking in much the same way. With his primitive brain in charge and the flood of endorphins, he was swept away in the moment with Dean, his bodyguard. Castiel realized that moment that he didn’t have to make Dean fall in love, Dean already is and maybe he might be too. Why else would Dean give Castiel his jacket? 

“Lisn Dean. I’m sorry” Castiel mumbles. “I’ve been so selfish and been act-acting like an asshole. I don’t even know why, ya know? Proba--probably because you’re so fricking hot.” Castiel laughs to himself and looks at Dean who’s smiling softly at him.

“You’re drunk Cas. I think it’s time we go”

Dean’s face warms as Castiel’s hand interlocks with his. He normally didn’t like skinship but this felt different. He longed for it; he craved it. The way Castiel’s hand was soft against his, or how his gentle eyes met his own. Castiel’s beauty was incredible; his heart was falling for him by the second. Everything becomes blurry and all Dean can focus on is Castiel, the warmth and even breaths coming from him.

“Cas, I know you won’t remember any of this which is why I’m going to tell you this. When I look into your eyes, there’s a danger inside that captivates me. I’ve never felt anything like it before. For the first time in a long time, I feel...alive. And I’m scared that you make me feel like that”

“Are you saying that you like me?” Castiel asks, fear crossing his face.

“I---I don’t know, but we should really go now. You have classes tomorrow.” Dean says, trying to change the subject. Castiel to drunk to even notice just groans, he closes his eyes and breathes out.

“Fine. Just give me a min” Castiel mumbles. Dean rolls his eyes, suddenly his bladder makes him aware of the 6 water bottles he drank. Shit! “Cas. I’m going to go to the washroom. Do not move from here, okay?”

“Aye aye, captain” Cas replies, still with his eyes closed. Dean quickly gets up and heads to the washroom.

“Cassie!” Castiel hears a familiar voice call out a nickname of his name. He slowly opens his eyes and feels the room start to spin. He tries to focus on where the voice came from, but he struggles from the loud music that’s now starting to hurt his ears. “I’m glad you made it, my friend!” the voice is now in front of him. Castiel squints and tries to focus his eyes on the person. “Balthazar?”

“You don’t look too good,” Balthazar says with an enigmatic smile. Castiel feels himself being lifted up from the floor. “Where’s your bodyguard?”  
Castiel’s struggling to keep his balance. It’s like some sort of outer body experience. His legs don’t work as he tells them to. Neither do his hands. Or his words.

He’s being moved somewhere, but Castiel can’t seem to protest. He’s too drunk. Then all goes dark.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning:** Mention of abuse
> 
> Feedback is loved.

When Dean steps out of the washroom and heads to the spot where Cas was supposed to stay at, he sees no sign of him. Dean immediately curses and starts to move amongst the dancing crowd, his eyes darting more wildly with each passing second, trying to find a glint of Cas’ jacket or his messy hair. He thought Cas was over the whole running away from him part. He begins to call out Cas’ name, yelling even louder than the loud music, until many heads were turned in his direction. He had their attention. "Has anyone seen a guy wearing a light blue shirt with a jean jacket? His name’s Castiel. He’s the Mayor’s son” he yells, his eyes are scanning the crowd, "He's about this high," he says, gesturing with his hand. The sea of drunk and blank faces stare back at Dean. Everyone is probably too zoned out to even remember their own names.

Dean can’t help but feel a bit anxious. He needs to shake it off. Now isn't the time or place for this. Dean takes a deep breath and begins to think. He begins to search the whole dorm. Castiel couldn’t have gotten far from the state he was in but in Dean’s mind, Cas hadn’t seemed like he wanted to run off, not now at least. However, none of that mattered right now. Cas wasn’t in the dorm anymore. He was gone.

__________________________________

Castiel slowly opens his eyes to the dimly lit room. From the pounding head and dehydrated feeling he figured he must have been drinking heavily last night, but somehow it wasn't there in his memory. Perhaps Dean had allowed him to skip class today. His throat felt like sandpaper. It hurt to move. His brain was still struggling to stay conscious. Castiel closed his eyes again, he finally understands why they call it a hangover, for it feels as if the blackest of clouds are over his head with no intention of clearing until later in the day. Castiel opens his eyes and swings his bare feet to the cold floor. 

This isn’t his room.

“Hangover is a bitch, isn’t it?” a soft voice spoke from the corner. It was Balthazar. Castiel’s mouth is almost too dry to speak. He looks around the room, it’s not as big as his, but still pretty big. There are some pictures of a red-headed girl on a side table, might be her sister or a friend Castiel thinks. Around it are smaller pictures of the two of them, birthday parties and the likes. Balthazar looks younger, probably by a couple of years.

“Where’s Dean?” Castiel asks, voice raspy. Balthazar starts to come closer to him holding a cup of water, he hands it to Castiel. Castiel doesn’t take it, the fact that he can’t remember how he got here or that Dean isn’t with him makes his stomach turn. Balthazar still hasn’t answered his question.

“Probably looking for you,” Balthazar says, still offering Castiel the glass of water. Castiel feels his whole body freeze. Balthazar's eyes go wide as he covers his mouth. “You don’t remember? Oh shit! You probably think I kidnapped you” Balthazar explains.

Castiel tilts his head. “What are you talking about?” his voice breaking from the lack of moisture. Balthazar hands him the cup again, this time Castiel takes it.

“You blacked out when I came to talk to you. I tried to sit you down on a chair but you kept complaining about the music starting to hurt your ears the moment you gained consciousness again. I took you outside and asked you where your dorm was, but you were too drunk and kept blacking out to answer so I took you to my dorm”

Castiel didn’t believe a word that Balthazar had just said. He was about to argue when Balthazar spoke again, “I also wanted to let your bodyguard know where you were because he looks perfectly capable of breaking every single bone in my body, but you also told me about the plan you had to get rid of him…”

Castiel crosses his arms. Did any of this actually happen? Did he really tell Balthazar that? 

“How long have I been asleep?” Castiel asks.

“Not long enough” 

____________________________________________

 

There's one overriding thought in Dean's mind: he needs to find Cas. He ran through the list of places Cas could have gone in his mind, checking off the ones he had already searched. As he gazed around Cas’ dorm. It occurred to him that Cas might have had some help. Dean thought of all Cas’ friendship, yet he hadn’t seen any of them at the party so it was unlikely they helped. 

Dean looks around the hall, his eyes landing on a security camera in the corner of the hall. Bingo! He just needed to access the footage and he’d have a better idea of where Cas went. However, it’s almost 1 am and Dean will probably have to deal with a not so pleased on-campus officer from being woken up because let’s face it the job is pretty boring. Probably the most action the on-campus officers have ever gotten was when they chased some guys that were vandalizing the south-west building (and they didn’t even catch them). Still, the officer is the only one with access to the footage and Dean is no tech-genius.

Sam was…

Dean has to stop thinking of him now. The wish for him to be here fills him with such rage and sadness that he thinks he’ll explode. He’s already grieved but there’s part of him that will never believe Sam won’t come bouncing around some corner to laugh at him for falling for this elaborate joke. 

Dean begins to head toward the main hall of the school. While sprinting, a deep pit of fear begins to stir in Dean. What will he do if he can’t find Cas?

It’s when he finally sees the officer that he realizes that he let his emotions cloud him. He shouldn’t have let Cas out of sight. He had trusted him. After a small debate with the officer, he’s finally being shown the footage.

As a child, Dean did not look for love, he did not expect it to look for him, he barely knew what it was. His father filled with sadness of losing his wife often drank himself unconscious. However, Dean still recalls the day his father shook him above the couch by the scruff of his clothes. His body moving like a rag doll. Right before then the radio had been playing The Beetles... those songs of love. Then there was his father’s rage and Dean had no idea why, but he knew that he needed to remain strong, he needed to endure, for Sam. Dean used to play hide and seek with Sam when his father had his outbursts. He wanted his brother to have a better life, to experience and feel loved. 

“Sir?” the officer speaks up snapping Dean back to reality. The officer has the usual height but without the bulk. He’s pointing at the computer that shows Cas passed out being carried by the guy who invited them to the party. Balthazar.

“Son of a bitch!” Dean yells out. “What’s this guy dorm number?”

He hears the officer typing for a few minutes. Dean taps his foot impatiently.

“1115” the officer says “Do you want me to come?”

Dean shakes his head. “I’ll handle it”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to let you guys know that I usually don't plan my stories. I have an outline of some events but I usually just go with the flow. I LOVE plot twists and drama so I try to include it in this fanfic as best as I can. Also, I'm editing the tags as I go but I will put warnings just in case.
> 
> Thanks for reading! ♥  
> \--L


	10. Chapter 10

The pain throbs in Castiel’s guts, it's deep and warm, but not in a nice way. It feels like someone has their hand in there and are squeezing his organs either gently or as hard as they can. When it decreases he can move when it returns he can only hold still and breathe, breathe slow and deep until it has passed. His abdomen is purple and lumpy where it should be smooth. He’s tied down to a chair. He can’t move.

Castiel lets out a strangled scream and feels blood well into his throat from his tongue, he had just bitten through in a vain attempt to keep quiet.

“Your father RUINED my family, Castiel. It’s only fair I return Mr. Novak the favor back!” Balthazar yells as he throws another punch at him. 

“I don’t know what you're talking about” Castiel whimpers, he was fighting to stay conscious, but with the number of punches he’s received from Balthazar, it’s becoming quite difficult.

“Bullshit!” Balthazar shouts while glaring at him. Castiel was telling the truth he didn’t know what his father had done to Balthazar’s family to make a guy so furious. 

Balthazar reaches down into his pocket and pulls up a knife. Castiel can feel his heart throbbing in fear, his eyes follow the movements of the knife that now sat precariously on his skin, soft enough to not pierce his neck, hard enough to enforce the intended message. His throat and heart held in a silver grasp and all he could do was stare lifelessly at the eyes that held the blade and the terrifying coldness and anger he had never seen before. 

“You actually don’t know what your father has done, do you?”

Castiel didn’t reply back instead trembling, he tipped his chin up into the sharpened edge, tempting Balthazar to end his anguish, half hoping he would. A small stream of blood trickled from the feeble cut he could not feel, Balthazar did not flinch or remove his eyes from his, a cruel smile stretched out across gaunt features. Castiel’s frozen heart shifted at the sight of his merciless gaze. Balthazar’s steadfast grip on the polished weapon shifted, causing more crimson liquid to flow from the raw wound he had inflicted.

“Your father is not what he appears. He is no God and your mother knew that. Your father is a murderer--”

Balthazar is interrupted by a loud bang on the door. Suddenly, it’s flying open and Castiel can barely see who it is. Darkness starts creeping in around the edges of his vision and he can’t think. His mind is still trying to process what Balthazar said. His father being a murderer. His mother…

Castiel blinks lazily towards the origin of the sound. At first, Castiel didn’t recognize the voice of the person yelling. He hears a few grunts and cries. Punches being thrown. Then it’s quite.

A familiar face appears in front of him. A beautiful face. It was Dean. His features forming an expression of worry and focus. Castiel can still make out the green of the man’s irises even in the dim lit room, the warm, soft light bathing his features. All perfect proportions and pristine angles.

“Hey,” says Dean. “You’re going to be okay Cas.”

Dean leans over Cas and unties him from the chair. He takes his eyes off Cas’ face for a moment, his face directed to the side. Cas traces the lines of his profile with his eyes, still just as lovely from the side as it had been from the front.

Suddenly Castiel’s defenses are just paper, a paper that is being soaked by the rapidly falling briny drops. Before he can draw in the air, his body needs he’s melted into Dean. Castiel can feel Dean’s firm torso and the heart that beats within. Dean’s hands are folded around his back, drawing him in closer. Castiel can feel his body shake. Dean pulls his head back and wipes Cas’ tears with a calloused finger, even this roughness brings more relief into Castiel’s heart than he can hold.

Castiel was expecting anger from Dean, anger that just didn’t exist. He didn’t know that all Dean has for him is love, all he wants is to keep Cas safe.

“Promise me that when I tell you next time to stay, you’ll stay” 

Castiel has to try to say the word a few times before he manages any sound behind it. “Promise”  
Castiel sighs slightly when a blissful familiar warmth drapes over him, envelopes him, surrounds him. A jacket. Dean’s jacket. He must have taken it off at some point. The smell of Dean overpowers the strong stench of iron. The warm weight of it makes Castiel want to close his eyes and sleep.

“No sleeping.”

Castiel feels a light tapping on his face, a pressure on his shoulder and he blinks open his eyes. His thoughts, getting slower and more sluggish, are just now processing what just happened. He frowns slightly and tries to speak, again, his lips moving before any sound comes out.

“What?” Dean asks, turning his ear again to Cas’ lips.

“Thanks” Castiel whispers.

Dean turns his head and grins at him. It’s stunning.

“That’s what I’m here for” 

Castiel blinks a few times, his world going fuzzy and grey until he manages to reply.

“Dean. I need to tell you something important.”

Dean frowns at Cas. “What is it?”

“It’s my father. He’s not who he says he is”

Dean’s eyebrows go up slightly. “Where’d you get that from?” Dean asks.

“Balthazar” 

In the distance, Castiel can hear the faint sounds of sirens. Dean must hear it too because he turns his head slightly and his eyes glance at Balthazar’s unconscious body.

The dark edges of his vision close in further. He can’t see anything out of the corner of his eye anymore, can’t make out the pictures that Balthazar had on a small corner table, can’t see anything but Dean. Dean, who is turning back to him and frowning slightly.

“Cas he could have been lying. He ain’t exactly on the banner for mental health.”

Castiel shakes his head slowly, wincing from the cut Balthazar made.

“My father is hiding something” Castiel whispers. He only means to blink, but his eyelids are heavy, so heavy that he can’t open them again.

“Cas? Cas!”

Then Castiel’s consciousness was floating through an empty space filled with a thick static. Throughout the dark space, his heartbeats pounded loudly, echoing in his ears, alongside fading shouts of his name.   
Feeling his body drain away until finally, all was black and quite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it took me this long to update guys, but if it makes you feel any better I stayed up until 1 AM writing this chapter (I started at 11 PM). Also, THANK YOU for keeping up with the story and for 1400 hits!! This is my very first fanfic and I did not expect those many views.
> 
> \--L


	11. Chapter 11

Dean hates hospitals, the sight of it brings back old memories. He could feel himself start to feel sick, but he needs to focus, recollect his thoughts, stay in the present. Cas was freaking tortured! Cas’ vitals are stable, Balthazar was arrested and apparently Cas’ father is a criminal. 

Yet, the memory of Sam comes to his mind. 

He can still remember those last couple days before he lost Sam, how peaceful they were. How the spring sun shone brightly upon them. Life seemed simple – and it probably was – but it was the kind of simplicity one can only find in times before great complexity.  
It was the calm before the storm. And the storm coming was going to come on a scale he’d never forget.

_That moonless night, when they were sent to a friendly base that was under enemy fire. He and Sam had been in the middle of their card game. Sam had joked along the way to the base that if they hadn’t been interrupted he would have surely won the game. When they finally got there, a young soldier quickly pulled them down to the ground by their shoulders just as a bullet flies over the guy’s head ricocheting off the tree several meters behind them._

_“There’s too many!” the young soldier shouts, Dean can see the fear in his eyes._

_The sounds of machine guns and explosives are all around them. The adrenaline Dean had been waiting for to kick in has finally decided to take part, making his senses more aware than before and speeding everything up, giving him the strength to continue._

_Dean notices the shiny, metallic bullet shells, freshly spewed blood, body parts and debris splattered all over the ground. An unknown friendly soldier collapses as his head was just blown off by an enemy sniper in the distance. The young soldier was right, there were too many. Why the hell didn’t they send more backup?!_

_Dean hears Sam checking his ammo of his M4. “We got this” Sam says, looking at him with a smug smile._

_“Just be careful Sammy” Dean replies, as he springs up and starts the assault. He aims down the sight and kills the first enemy he spots._

_A couple of minutes pass. Dean the repeats the same thing over and over._

_He looks around the area, the smell of blood hits him. He should be used to it by now but somehow it’s different this time. Something was wrong, he could feel it in his gut._

_Dean begins to sprint, his eyes looking around for Sam. Hundreds of bullets are being fired around where Sam is. Sam is crouching behind an old car, the windows of it shattered from the number of bullets it’s received._

_As Dean gets closer the screams and shouts from nearby soldiers get progressively louder. Gunshots and explosions are sounding stronger as he continues running. Debris from explosions are landing closer and closer around him._

_“Hold on Sam!” Dean shouts as he starts shooting. He’s spraying bullets everywhere not knowing where the enemy is. Every second a spent bullet casing ejects out of his chamber and lands on the ground next to him. The soft metallic clunking sound and explosion distracts him for a second and then THUD!_

_“SAM!” Dean cries out. He sees Sam fall to the ground._

The room Cas is in is just like any other room in the hospital. Light brown and dull, but there are more people in his. "I’m so sorry Cas," Dean whispers to himself as he opens the door wider. Doctors and nurses surround Cas’ hospital bed, attaching IV's, heart monitors and oxygen tanks to him. Dean’s eyes wander to Cas' bare chest, it’s covered in bruises and it makes Dean look away. This shouldn’t have happened. In the corner are two chairs, frayed with wear and tear. It was a typical hospital room, sparse and functional. Dean took a seat in one of them and stared dejectedly up at the ceiling.

_The bullet hits Sam in the chest. Dean can feel the warm blood that starts running down his hand as he tries to apply pressure on the wound. There’s no exit wound which means the bullet is still embedded in his chest._

_“I told you to be careful Sam,” Dean says without any anger behind it, he's trying to remain as calm as possible. Sam’s breathing becomes faster, he’s biting his lip to prevent from shouting. “We need a medic!” Dean shouts over the gunshots. They’re still getting fired at. “It’s not that bad Sam...I’m going to take care of you. I got you. I just need you to apply pressure while I take care of those assholes..” Sam slowly nods, a whimper escaping his mouth._

The doctors leave, informing Dean that Cas was going to be okay but that they’d like to keep him overnight just to make sure. Dean thanks them and heads towards Cas’ hospital bed. Cas’ was carefully rolled on his side. His features were much softer in sleep, the lines that usually creased his brow replaced by the youthful appearance that matched those of others their age. He looked peaceful (besides the circumstances). Even though Dean wanted nothing more than to curl up into the curve of his body, he turned around and sat back down in the chair.

_It took Dean 15 shots to kill 10 of the enemies that had been shooting at them. Normally, Dean would check for more but he didn’t care, not right now. “How you holding up Sammy?” Dean asks, shifting his eyes towards his little brother._

_Sam’s eyes that once danced with light are now vacant and staring. His hair moved in the nightly breeze- the rest of him utterly still. Dean kneels at his side, touching his hand to his chest and then listening, feeling for a pulse in vain. He feels a tear stream down his face. Staring at Sam’s lifeless form Dean cannot believe he is gone. Something that important to him cannot just disappear. He sobs into Sam’s chest unceasingly, hands clutching at his military jacket. Dean held him in silence, rocking him slowly as his tears soaked his chest._

_“Please come back, Sammy. Please...”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wanting to write a full chapter about Dean's past so I decided to do it! I know it's a bit shorter than usual chapters but the next one will be longer and fluffier. 
> 
> There are just 4 more chapters left. And the fic does have a {Mild smut} tag so you guess what's coming to these last few chapters. Thanks for reading!  
> :)  
> \--L


	12. Chapter 12

Slowly and reluctantly, Castiel blinks open his eyes, then closes them, and blinks again. Streaks of sunlight penetrate from the window beside him and blind him. He sits up and immediately regrets it. He lays there quietly, keeping his eyes open, matching his breaths is the beeping of the machines that surround his bed. Then from nowhere comes the memory of what happened. 

Balthazar.

His father.

Dean…

It’s funny how a near-death experience can change your perspective of someone. In the blink of an eye, everything can change. Balthazar could have killed him if it wasn’t for Dean.  
Castiel realizes that he’s been doing everything wrong. He’s been moving towards the wrong path.  
He looks around the room until his eyes meet Dean’s. The sigh that comes from Dean is of a tension that has been lifted from him and now all that is left is a pure relief. Dean stands up from a chair he was sitting in and walks towards Castiel. His stride is lighter, more carefree.

“How are you feeling?” Dean asks, standing beside him.

“Peachy” Castiel jokes, he gives Dean a warm smile. Dean laughs and it makes Castiel feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

“I’m glad you’re alright. “ 

Castiel is more awake now. “ Dean. I---I'm sorry” he says. It scares him that it's been so long since he's said those words and actually meant them. 

Dean frowns. “About what?”

“For getting drunk, running away from you, being an ass. Basically... for everything” 

Dean just blinks at him. “Apology accepted,” he says, voice softer. The corners of his perfect mouth turning up in a perfect warm smile. 

“That's it?” Castiel can’t help but say.

He tilts his head. He’s forgiven. It's quite a shock. But then what did he expect? He sees Dean shrug and Castiel smiles back at him.

Dean takes Castiel’s hand. In that instant, his skin touches Castiel's. He feels a little shock. He tells himself it's from the machines in the room even though Castiel knows that's not true. But then some electric currents start shooting up through his arm, and Dean is rubbing his palm with his thumb, which makes the currents go shooting through the rest of him. _Uh-oh._

Dean's eyes are on him.

Castiel isn't on too much medication to know that he isn't imagining stuff. Dean’s hand is firm and warm, and somehow, big as it is, it fits with his. 

“You told me something before you passed out," Dean says, yet Castiel is distracted by the electric currents and trying not to show it. Castiel should yank his hand back but the feeling is amazingly underwhelming. Dean’s gaze trails slowly down his face to his mouth. For a second, Castiel thinks Dean’s going to kiss him. For a second, he wants him to.

Dean waits, and when Castiel doesn’t answer him, he asks “What did you mean by ‘your father not really being who he says he is?’,”

“I don’t know,” Castiel says, snapping out of his trance. “Balthazar said he was a murderer though I don’t exactly know in what context. And even though my father isn’t really the guy you want to have a beer with, being a murderer is quite a stretch” 

“I was worried about you,” Dean says taking his hand away to rub the back of his neck nervously. Castiel’s hand feels cold without his.

“Why?” Castiel barely gets the word out before there’s a knock on the door. It’s a nurse. She looks like she could just fall asleep at any moment yet she still smiles at them. “Sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Novak your father is here”

Castiel’s body is reacting like there's a gorilla about to beat the crap out of him instead of seeing his father. He can hear the beeping of the machine start to quicken.

“Cas?” 

“What do I do?” Castiel whispers, he looks at Dean nervously. Dean takes his hand again, the electric currents start shooting through him, just like before, and suddenly, he feels a bit calmer.

“Just act normal” 

 

“But---”

The next second, Castiel’s father is standing in front of the door with a perfect fake smile that Castiel knows too well. Behind the smile, Castiel can see the anger inside of him and it makes him feel scared.

“I’d like a moment alone with my son, please” Chuck says to the nurse and Dean. Castiel can feel the dread creep over him like an icy chill, numbing his brain. The fact that he’s helplessly stuck to the hospital’s bed, makes his stomach churn. However, Dean is still holding his hand and it gives Castiel the courage he needs.

“Dean’s staying” 

His father laughs as if Castiel has just told the greatest joke ever. He shakes his head and steps closer toward them. The nurse has already left closing the door to his room, and probably heading to the nearest bed available. With each step Chuck takes, Castiel battles with the thoughts of his father actually being a murderer or at least taking part in them. 

“How could you possibly say that?! It’s his fault you’re here. If he would have done his job--”

“Dean has nothing to do with this!” Castiel shouts. He isn’t going to allow his father to talk to Dean like that. His father looks taken aback, Castiel has never once interrupted him like this, but in the blink of an eye, he regains his composure and smiles.

“Interesting,” he says, crossing his arms and looking at them both. “It seems like you’ve developed feelings for your bodyguard Castiel”

Castiel can feel his face go red, leaving no chance to lie because he knows it’s true. As much as he hates to admit it, these past few months have been great. Of course, he complained non-stop but not once did Dean ever get angry at him or give up on him, instead, he woke him up, bit by bit. Taking him to a restaurant, opening up to him, going to his classes and making sure he paid attention, giving him his jacket, taking him to a party. 

Castiel hasn’t enjoyed himself that much since his mom died. He lays there speechless for a few seconds. Finally, he says, “Maybe, but that doesn’t change the fact that I was tortured because of you”

“I told you to be careful son,” Chuck says calmly. Castiel can see that Dean is clenching his jaw tightly. He gives a gentle squeeze to Dean’s hand, just to make sure Dean doesn’t go full Terminator on his father. 

“Why did you ruin Balthazar’s family?” 

“Who?”

“Why did he say you were a murderer?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”

“Did mom die because of you?” Castiel yells, anger boiled deep in my system as well as sadness. It's too much for him to handle, yet he desperately wants the answers to his questions. His father won’t meet his eyes.

“Your mother died because she couldn’t handle the truth,” Chuck says, voice harsh and cold.

“What did you do? What did you!” Castiel yells.

His father smiles at him and it makes Castiel sick. “I did nothing Castiel,” he says “What do you expect me to say? That I killed her. Don’t be foolish”

Castiel sees right through the lie. The way his father eyes go dead. Castiel’s eyes drip with tears. His walls, the walls that held him up, made him strong just... collapse. Moment by moment, they fall. Salty drops fall from his chin, drenching his shirt.

Dean lets go of Castiel’s hand and heads towards Chuck. He slams him up against a wall, fist clenched. 

“You sick, son of a bitch” 

“I’d think twice if I were you do Dean. Unless you want to be sitting in a police car in a few minutes.”

Dean stared back at Chuck. A few moments later, he unwillingly released him. Chuck nodded his head at him and walked towards Castiel until he was right beside him. 

“All of that is in the past, Castiel. That’s not me anymore, but if you want the truth, I’ll tell it to you,” he says “But it needs to be just you and me”

Castiel wants to punch him, to take that smug smile away from his father. He sees him turn around and waves goodbye at him. He walks out of the room, no one stopping him. 

He’s untouchable here. 

When he leaves, everything looks normal except it isn’t. 

Everything has just changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as I promised, a slightly longer chapter! Thank you for bearing with me and for all those kudos.
> 
> Tell me what you guys think is going to happen in the next chapter!
> 
> \--L


	13. Chapter 13

Everyone in the hallway observes them with the gaze of a stranger, that aloof judgment with no strings. From afar Dean knows that they have made some opinion of them. He’s not bothered, everyone must do this, as he does too sometimes. While they walk to Cas’ dorm, Dean can’t help but think that though they live in a modern age with gadgets that their ancestors could never have dreamt of, there is a part of everyone that is forever the tribal hunter. The crowd must make an observation, a casual assessment. Friend or Foe? And how do they make such judgment? Clues to social class, to stage of life and group affiliations. At the same time as they judge attractiveness, fitness being a key part, but who knows what they are thinking right now. 

Do they know about what Castiel's father has done? 

Do they know about his past?

Maybe they’re just hoping they close down the school so they can have a few days to rest before finals.

When they enter Cas’ dorm, the sigh that escapes Cas’ lips is slow, as if his brain needs that time to process what has happened. Cas' eyes remained fixed on the picture he has of his father.

Compassion wasn't something they taught in the military. You either had it or you didn't, and Dean can't say it was an advantage either. He sometimes envied those that didn't connect with the pain they saw every day, it was easier for them. However, it was all Dean could do. Sam always joked that his empathy would be the downfall of him.

Dean closed the door and saw Cas walking to him slowly, avoiding any personal space they had. Cas pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around him. Dean had been hugged before but never has it felt like this. Cas’ embrace was warm, and the arms that held him were soft, yet strong. Dean was caught off guard, yet he still leaned in and squeezed Cas back. 

“Thanks for having my back,” Cas says.

“My pleasure,” Dean replies.

Dean doesn’t know how long the hug lasted, but that it wasn’t long enough. When they finally part, he feels the absence as a cold wind, wishing he could keep Cas wrapped around him like a well-worn sweater for always.

“I don't know what to do, Dean. I feel like I’m losing my mind. I don’t know even know who my father is any more” Cas says, face inches apart from his. A tear falls from Cas’ face. Dean rubs it away with his thumb. 

“You’ve got this Cas, but you need to stay strong if you want to catch your father”

“He’s too powerful. The cops are probably on his payroll right now.”

“We’ll just have to make a strong, concrete case against him that no one can turn their heads away”

Cas snaps his fingers and quickly heads to his bedroom with Dean behind him. Dean sees him pull out a key from his desk. He hands it to him.

“We can start here,” Cas says.

“What does this open?” Dean asks, analyzing the key. It looks just like a normal key except that it’s a lot cleaner and shinier.

“His office. I’ve had since I was a kid, he lost it one day and I found it a week later but I never told him. He doesn’t know I have it.”

“Nice, but he could have changed the locks” Dean adds.

“He did, but this opens the gate of the building. Once we’re in, I know other ways to get in without needing a key.”

Dean raises an eyebrow, he sees Cas shrug with a smug smile on his face. 

“Not going to ask what the other ways are. When do you want to go?” Dean says, chuckling.

“The sooner the better, but first---” Cas says, leaning closer to Dean again. Cas’ hand reaches for his and they interlock. Dean’s heart is pounding because if he leans closer, their lips will touch. Cas’ blue eyes are shining so fierce and bright that they take Dean’s breath away. His hair is standing in every possible direction, and their foreheads touch while they stare at each other. Dean can see Cas lips curving up at the corners, smiling.

He lays his fingers against Cas’ neck, long enough to feel his pulse, which feels like his own-- racing and feverish.

“I remember fragments of what you said to me at the party,” Cas says.

Dean’s heart skips a beat. Shit.

“And I want you to know that if you want to leave because I can be a prick sometimes, that’s okay with me.”

“I know.” 

Dean leans forward and kisses Cas tentatively, passionately and then, tenderly. His hands find their way under Cas’ soft shirt, and the skin there is hot but smooth. It was exactly how he had imagined it would feel like. He pulls Cas’ shirt up, over his head and he can feel the little sparks of static dancing over his skin; either way, it’s a magical feeling and it causes him to shiver in complete pleasure and ecstasy. Cas does the same to him and soon they're both shirtless. His lips press against Cas' with passion, love, and affection as his warm hands roam all of his back, his fingers dance over Cas’ skin, enjoying the feel of his muscles flexing as he tries to memorize every inch.

Dean lifts Cas right off his feet, carrying him toward the bed, letting him fall with a soft bounce on the mattress. They lock eyes for just a moment, just enough for them to feel safe with one another. Then Dean’s undoing Cas’ jeans, pulling them off. Cas lays there naked, Dean pulls off his own pants and the only thing left is his boxers, which do not fail in showing how hard Dean is right now. 

“Even your boxers are black,” Cas says chuckling in between a kiss. 

“I like the color,” Dean whispers in Castiel’s ear. He sees Cas wrinkle his nose in protest.

“Black is a shade” 

“Shut up and kiss me,” he whispers back.

For some reason, Cas doesn’t smell of hospital, but a mixture of cinnamon and vanilla, and Dean can’t get enough of it. Soon, Dean’s boxer is lying on the ground and their naked bodies are pressed together, moving softly in sync. Dean’s whole body is filled with lust as he imagines himself inside Cas.

“Can I?” Dean asks. Cas nods, smiling again.

The first moan escapes Cas' mouth, his breathing changing with every thrust. Cas’ chest rises and falls dramatically under his influence. Cas smiles into Dean’s kiss. 

They’re under the sheets regaining their breath when Cas rolls to his side.

“I think I love you, Dean” Cas whispers as their eyes make contact. Dean smiles.

“I think I do too”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you liked the chapter. I just started a new job so the last chapters might take a bit longer than normal. Also, to any other Canadian like me. Happy Thanksgiving!
> 
> \--L


	14. Chapter 14 pt.1

After a week of mapping out the area for Dean and waiting for Chuck to finally leave to a community event, tonight is finally the day that they’re breaking into his father’s office. He’s been a bit on edge, which has led to Dean telling him several times not picture it as a break in if he’s Chuck’s son, but that’s not really why he’s nervous.

It’s the fact of what they’ll find.

Going in is risky, inside his father’s building they would have to pass many security guards as well as cameras to head up to the 15th floor. Chuck’s office is always highly guarded, it’s as though he has more security than the president. Maybe there’s a reason for all the security...

The plan is for Castiel to take out the cameras which will involve a bit of flittering, something Dean was not on board of; while Castiel takes care of that, Dean will handle the guards. This place was designed with defence in mind. The odds are against them but that never stopped anyone from attempting something.

“I’ll meet you at his office,” Dean says “Don’t take too long”

Dean’s comment makes Castiel chuckle. “Don’t kill anyone”

“Very funny Cas but I mean it though, no funny business with the guard” Dean says pointing a finger to him.

Castiel raises an eyebrow and grins. “Jealous?“

“The only one that will be jealous is you, when I beat you to the office”

“Well then..” Castiel says getting closer to Dean, he traces his lip lightly with the tip of his finger. It pouts slightly, and he has such an urge to bite it, to kiss it, to lean in and listen to their gentle breathing, sharing crooked smiles. Dean’s lip feels slightly chapped under his light touches but he simply cannot bring himself to give a damn. Castiel gazes so intently at each divot of those lips, as if it could map out ancient seas and college plans and tell him everything he doesn’t know. He looks up at Dean and kisses him gently, only letting it last a few seconds before parting and whispering into Dean’s ear, “I accept the challenge”

A minute later Castiel is in the lead running and jumping across the fence and heading to the control room to distract a security guard.

It doesn’t take long for Castiel to find the room since he’s familiarized with the area. He saunters into the room, Emma has his back to him, she’s watching the monitors while listening to music on headphones. Castiel heads towards her and gently touches her on the shoulder, she jumps from the sudden touch and immediately spins around in her rolling chair. In a few seconds she goes from tense to relaxed. Her headphones are gone.

Emma has a smile on her face. Her brown eyes seem to gleam the room, she stands up from the chair and embraces Castiel. There’s a beam of joy dashing inside of her that Castiel can almost feel. He knows that Emma has always had a crush on him. She takes a finger and brushes her brunette colored hair aside, she takes a small step back. The bright red lipstick on her lips match the red jacket that’s hanging in the corner hanger. 

“Castiel! What are you doing here?” she asks, smiling.

“I was trying to look for my dad” he says.

“At this hour?” 

“He said that he’d be here”

“He’s gone to a community event, won’t be back till tomorrow morning. Want me to call him?”

“NO” Castiel immediately shouts out loud, it makes Emma slightly jump again. “I mean I don’t want to bother him or anyway but thanks Emma”

“Okayyyy” she says dragging out the y. Castiel can sense that she’s becoming a bit suspicious, he has to act now.

“There’s another reason why I came Emma. I….” he stops, when he sees Dean in the security footage fighting off 2 security guards. Dean’s agile movement is far too quick for them. Emma is about to turn around at the footage when Castiel grabs her by the arms and continues “I was hoping we could hang out more often. It’s been quite long since we’ve talked. How’s your mother?”

“I….” she says. Castiel is crossing one of his fingers.

Please work.

“My mom’s doing better, thanks. But everyday she needs more taking care of, which limits my schedule.”

“You don't have anyone to take care of her?” Castiel asks.

“Too expensive. This job barely cuts it for the medicine and groceries” Emma says quietly. Castiel knows he's on the clock and also in a race with Dean but he still wants to help her out.

“How much could a caretaker cost a week? 200 dollars? I really don't know but here--” 

Castiel takes out a 500 dollar bill from his pocket and hands it to Emma. Her eyes go wide and she shakes her hand. “This only for this week but I'm going to talk to my father about giving you a raise. You deserve it.”

“I can't take this” she says, pushing back Castiel's hand away from her. Castiel extends it again.

“I'm determined for you to join me for coffee. It's my gift.”

A few seconds pass and Castiel can see her deciding whether or not to take the money. If you went back a few months ago, Castiel would have never done this. Emma finally takes the money and gives him a silent thank you.

“I guess I can do Friday morning..” she says.

“Great! That’s awesome. Hey, quick question. Do you still own that silver Toyota?”

“2012?”

“Shit. Yea. I just saw another car hit it while going in reverse.”

“What? No! I don’t have insurance.” she says, quickly grabbing her red jacket and heading out the door.

“I’ll watch the cameras for you!” Castiel shouts, smiling and turning them off one by one. This should buy them enough time to head into the office and leave without being seen. It's going to be a headache rebooting every single camera for Emma, but he'll make sure to treat her to whatever she wants when they meet again.

Castiel looks at the clock. He has a race to win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's not dead? My apologies for letting this fanfic start to gather dust. However, you have my word that I'll finish it, even if it takes 10 years!
> 
> Ps: This might have a few grammatical errors since I only proofread it once.


	15. Chapter 14 pt.2

Castiel bolted down the hallway like an Olympic champion at the start gun. The pounding noise of his shoes resonated off the walls with a clanging echo that matched his heart throbbing inside his chest. He took the stairs up to his father’s office. Now that he thinks about it, taking the elevator would have been a better, faster choice. He just hopes that Dean somehow got lost in all the hallways, but it’s very unlikely. When he finally sees the door to his father’s office, he also sees Dean standing there with a smirk. He lets out a _ugh._

“How did you beat me?”, Castiel says baffled.

“How couldn’t I?” Dean replies, smiling.

Castiel was still regaining his breath, he could feel his sweat trickling down his back, free-flowing like condensation on a window pane, it beaded on his forehead. Dean stepped closer and with his jacket’s arm wiped Castiel’s forehead. 

“Remind me to make you exercise more often after we finish this” Dean says. 

“Over my dead body,” Castiel says, making Dean’s smile falter. Castiel had forgotten about his past for a second. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that..”

“Don’t be. It’s me the one that can’t get over the loss of my brother part.”

Castiel knew that he should give some advice or say a few comfort words, but how could he when he still hasn’t let go of his mother’s death. Often, just the thought of it fills him up with such anger as well as sadness. He can feel a wave of sadness hit him but he takes a deep breath and asks “Want to talk about?’

“I don’t think this is the right moment Cas. Maybe later”

“Fine, later then,” Castiel says, beginning to search for the key to the door in his pocket. Dean has his back to him and is now looking back and forth at the hallways.  
“We have 5 minutes Cas before any suspects something”  
“I know. I know” Castiel says, inserting the key into the door. It clicks and Castiel pushes it opens. The office is the same as he remembers, the only thing that has changed is the once grey walls that are now white. His father’s office is a huge room occupying the corner of the building with floor-to-ceiling windows giving views in two directions. The two remaining walls contained a door which leads to a private bathroom, there's also a low bookshelf, and a single oil painting - a vase of flowers by Vincent van Gogh.  
Castiel walks slowly towards his father’s desk, dread creeping over him like an icy chill.  
In the center is the black glass surface of Chuck’s desk which is equally uncluttered. The fact that Dean is behind him and the limited amount of time they have gives Castiel the extra push he needs to begin and look for anything that will link the death of his mother to Chuck. Dean begins to look at the bookshelf while Castiel tries the computer. He needs a password to access whatever files Chuck has inside his computer. 

_My birthday? No too obvious. My name? Probably not. If you were Chuck what would you put? His book!_

Castiel’s first attempt consists in the name of Chuck’s first book but is unsuccessful. The second is the date it was published, but it’s wrong again. He has one last try. Maybe it’s not the book, he thinks.  
“Cas, you gotta hurry up,” Dean says in the middle of opening a book and checking if anything is inside it.  
“I know,” Cas says, frustrated. He’s about to put a random guess or—

He stops with his hand on the keyboard. There's a picture frame face down on top of a filing cabinet. He stands up and heads toward it, but even as Castiel lifts it up to see it, he knows what it is.  
There he is. Him and his father with- of all people- Mickey freaking _Mouse._ Castiel smiles at it. He can’t help himself. The picture is of his 10th birthday when his father had surprised him and taken him to Disneyland Paris. The eighteen-year-old part of him would like to scoff and say that the trip was stupid and the roller coasters weren’t even that great—  
But that wasn’t how it had been. It had been amazing. He remembers how much he loved his father when he saw his birthday present. It was a new video game console that still hadn’t been released to the public. Castiel still has it to this day even though it’s old and laying in the corner of his room, he still uses it once in a while when he’s bored.  
He looks down at the photo again. He’s smiling so wide it looks physically painful, his dad is grinning with slight embarrassment but also, he can see, him having a great time in spite of himself.  
In the photo, there’s a little gap between him and his dad, but he’s not going to put too much emphasis on that. Just an accident of photography, where he’d probably stepped back from Mickey just as it was taken because he remembers being freaked way the hell out by the giant grin that never changed and the weird silence of Mickey in person. But he’s still smiling.  
_He doesn’t know what’s to come,_ Castiel thinks, putting the picture back on the top of the filing cabinet.  
He heads towards the computers and types: 

_Maria Novak_

The computer unlocks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you miss me? 
> 
> (Yes. It is a Sherlock reference)
> 
> :)


	16. Chapter 14 pt. 3

Dean has no luck when it comes to the bookshelf or the filing cabinet. He turns on his phone and checks his timer. 2 minutes left. He turns to look at Cas who’s furiously clicking and typing on the computer in hopes of finding something.  
The place is so tidy it makes Dean suspicious. Of course, there’s a possibility that Castiel’s father could have a bit of OCD but Dean knows to never throw anything to luck. They have a minute when Cas jumps out of his seat.  
“Dean!” Cas yells.  
“Jesus Cas, why don’t you tell the whole world we’re in here” Dean whispers fiercely. “Did you find something?”  
Cas looks back nervously at the computer. The whole room is dark, the only thing lighting up the place was the light emanating from the computer’s screen. It outlined Cas’ face perfectly. Dean walked towards him. “What’s wrong?” he asked.  
Cas said nothing. He was shaking his head.  
Dean followed Cas’ gaze and saw the message on the computer. 

**BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME**  


Crap. This hadn’t been the plan. Not at all.  
“We have to go Cas. Now!” Dean says. He grabs Cas’ hand and begins to run towards the door with Cas behind him and then the alarms go off. A siren wailing electronically along the corridors, leaping out from the corners, echoing everywhere. Overhead, a light begins to flash red.  
It feels quite weird knowing he's now being the one chased instead of him being the chaser. They’re halfway there to their desired exit when they get surrounded. About half of the guards have bruises (probably the ones that Dean knocked out before) but the other half is better equipped almost as if they were waiting for them.  
“We’re surrounded,” Cas says to him.  
“Excellent, we can now attack in any direction” Dean jokes. From the corner of his eye, he can see Cas relax a bit but that doesn’t change the situation. They’re outnumbered, there’s no exit nearby and they have no weapons. The odds are stacked against them.  
“There aren’t supposed to be these many guards” Cas whispers, his eyes darting around the walls, hoping that a secret door will magically appear.  
“Do you have a plan?” Dean asks.  
“My plan was to follow your plan!” Cas exclaims. Dean gives Cas a sorry smile before he launches toward the first guard. “Go Cas!” Dean yells, ducking a punch. The guards seem only interested in Dean. Cas still doesn’t move. “I’ll catch up with you” Dean adds. “Cas!”  
Something seems to wake Cas out of his trance that he begins to run, a few guards try and grab him, but Dean knocks them out before they do. He sees Cas give him one last look before turning a corner and disappearing out of his sight.  
Then he hears it.  
A clicking noise.  
He turns around and sees a guy take out a taser.  
_That’s not good,_ he thinks. 

_______________________________________________________

Castiel didn’t want to leave Dean, but there was a chance that even with both of them fighting, they could still lose. That’s why he’s running straight towards their last hope of getting out of here. He sees the black door from across the hallway with a small scratch at the bottom, and even though the door blends in with all the other ones scattered across the hall, this one is special.  
This is where Bruno usually sleeps. Castiel almost slams into the door but quickly opens it. The room is dark, and he hears a low growl. He flicks on the lights and there lays Bruno on the floor.  
“Remember me, buddy?” Castiel says calmly. He crouches down and extends his hand out. Bruno races toward it, Castiel for a moment thinks he's about to get attacked but after a few sniffs, he gives a lick and puts his paw into Castiel’s hand. He begins to lick Cas’ face after that, making Cas chuckle. Bruno’s tail isn't wagging side to side but going round and round like a helicopter blade; any happier and Castiel thinks those paws might catch some air.  
“So, you do remember me,” Castiel says. 

Bruno and he have an understanding; it wasn't there at first and not a lot of people know about it. Castiel remembers the day when he found Bruno laying motionless on the street, passed out from dehydration. He was a small scared puppy that didn’t trust anyone. He grew to twice the size Castiel thought he might, with the time spent together Bruno grew stronger and more confident. Castiel reckons that Bruno has some labrador in him, possibly crossed with a German Shepard too and even though he had never had a pet, he immediately took it upon himself to take care of Bruno until he was healthy again. Everyone told him to give it up for adoption, get another dog, but no way. A family is a family. That is until one day coming home from school his dad told him that he had sent Bruno to a training school. He didn’t see him for a couple of years after that. 

_I wonder where he sent you?_ Castiel thought while petting him.

“I know that you’re not as young as you used to be, but I need a favor Bruno”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prompt that I saw online by a girl who just makes amazing short stories and prompts for us people who like to write!


End file.
